US’ University of Missouri researchers have identified two main challenges for adaptive clothing consumers. The study involved mining online reviews to understand the perspectives of adaptive clothing customers. Customers said product offerings were inadequate and didn’t meet their specific needs and that access to the few products that do exist was limited.

“When designing clothing for people with special needs, it’s important to consider functionality as well as fashion, style, and self-expression,” Li Zhao, an assistant professor in the department of textile and apparel management, said in a press release by the University of Missouri. “The people who depend on these garments each have unique needs, so their feedback is invaluable.”

Zhao and her team of researchers mined customer reviews from three companies—Amazon, Silverts, and IZ-Adaptive—that manufacture adaptive clothing ranging from high-end items to casual wear. Through collocation analysis (the process of identifying closely affiliated with one another), topic modelling, and sentiment analysis, the researchers found that, on average, consumers who include folks with disabilities, caregivers, friends, and family indicated that the retailers’ websites were not user-friendly and didn’t have features that aid accessibility.